Investigation of Twisted Waveguides as Slow-Wave Structures

Twisted hollow waveguides with noncircular cross sections may be considered as slow-wave structures. In a twisted waveguide, propagating radio frequency (rf) waveguide modes can have phase velocities slower than those of similar modes in a straight waveguide. This property is interesting since a twisted waveguide basically has a uniform cross section along the propagation direction. In such a waveguide, periodic standing waves may exist regardless of the mechanical periodicity. This type of waveguide structure may have applications in acceleration, bunch compression, and deflection of charged particles, etc. Results of the investigation on these waveguides for the rf properties are presented.